BMW restarts the 3 Series around a battery

BMW launched the all new i3 on September 30, the first 3 Series built on the Neue Klasse platform, and the order of events tells the story: the electric car comes first, built in Munich, with two electric versions opening the range. Gasoline and 48 volt mild hybrid versions follow, and a plug in hybrid joins next year. A decade ago the electric variant was the footnote. In 2026 it is the headline act and combustion fills in around it.

The i3 is the second Neue Klasse car after the iX3 crossover, and it carries the platform's signature hardware: an 800 volt electrical architecture, sixth generation eDrive motors, and cylindrical battery cells that BMW says pack meaningfully more energy into the same space. The practical translation is faster charging stops and longer range without a bigger battery. Expect the gasoline twin to be priced close to the electric car, because BMW is explicitly building one model line with a choice of powertrains rather than two separate cars.

Why it matters beyond BMW: the 3 Series is the sedan benchmark every rival plans against. When the benchmark goes electric first, the segment's center of gravity has officially moved.

Paris, October 12 to 18: nine concepts and one name to know

The Paris Motor Show opens at Porte de Versailles on October 12, and Stellantis is arriving with the largest stand at the show: more than 60 vehicles and nine concept cars across eight brands on a 5,340 square meter booth in Hall 4. The headline act is Alfa Romeo's Cuorerosso concept, a name that fuses cuore and rosso, heart and red, and previews the brand's next design direction.

Also on the floor: the DS N°7 premium compact SUV making its international show debut with hybrid and electric versions and a claimed range of up to 740 kilometers, the Fiat Grizzly family SUVs, the Lancia Gamma marking that brand's return to the crossover segment, the Leapmotor B03 and D19, and the Opel Corsa GSE. We will walk the floor and report back in this space.

41.7 percent

That is the share of new cars sold in France in September that were fully electric: 65,243 cars, up 108 percent on the same month last year, a record for a major European market. The Tesla Model Y was the best selling car in France outright for the second month running. Meanwhile gasoline fell to a 10.5 percent share and diesel to 1.5 percent. The full September data pack, including India's record month and the first European month where electric outsold gasoline and diesel combined, is broken down in this month's Trend Line.

The American experiment without a tax credit

September 30 marked one year since the 7,500 dollar United States federal EV tax credit ended. The market did not collapse; it repriced. Automakers leaned on lease deals and their own incentives to hold monthly payments where the credit used to sit, and buyers cross shopped harder. The Redline verdict after twelve months: the credit was a tailwind, not the engine. Product and price are doing the work now.

On the docket

September sales reports from the major automakers, our first drive notes on the Cayenne Electric from the Marquee desk, and the final Paris show preview before doors open on October 12. See you at the same time.